In the production of hydrocarbons, water is often produced along with the hydrocarbons. The water may result from various sources including naturally occurring water within a subterranean formation and/or water recovered after it is injected into the formation as part of a treatment procedure (e.g., formation stimulation, water or steam flooding, etc.). The water recovered from the subterranean formation may be reinjected into the same or a different subterranean formation in order to dispose of the water in a safe and efficient manner. Often, dedicated injection wellbores may be used for injecting the recovered water, though repurposed or converted wells may also be used for injection purposes.
The water that is to be injected into an injection well often contains impurities. For example, the water may contain salts, various chemicals present in the oilfield industry, suspended solids, and the like. The presence of the solids can detrimentally affect the injection well by plugging the pores in the injection formation, thereby damaging the injection wellbore and limiting the ability to inject fluids in the future.